POLICE CHIEF BRIAN O'HARA ANNOUNCED A MAJOR RE-STRUCTURING OF THE DEPARTMENT, SPLITTING IT INTO TWO DIVISIONS, ONE FOR OPERATIONS AND ONE FOR COMMUNITY RELATIONS.

CHIEF O'HARA SAYS THE CHANGE, WHICH INCLUDES TWO NEW ASSISTANT CHIEFS, IS PART OF HIS PLAN TO BUILD A BETTER RELATIONSHIP WITH COMMUNITY.

HERE TO TALK WITH US ABOUT WHAT THIS MIGHT MEAN, YOHURU WILLIAMS.

HE'S A UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS HISTORIAN, THE DIRECTOR OF THE SCHOOL'S RACIAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE.

AND ONE OF HIS AREAS OF EXPERTISE IS THE HISTORY OF POLICING IN THE TWIN CITIES.

DO YOU BUY THE EMPHASIS ON COMMUNITY RELATIONS, COMMUNITY TRUST, AND THEN OPERATIONS, IS THAT THE PATH FORWARD?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

AND I THINK THIS IS WHY 'HARA WAS SELECTED IN THE FIRST PLACE.

THAT EXPERIENCE THAT HE BRINGS FROM NEWARK, REALLY ANCHORING THIS IN BUILDING COMMUNITY TRUST IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL.

AND HE'S BETTING HERE ON THIS IDEA THAT YOU ENCOURAGE COMMUNITY SUPPORT, FAITH IN THE POLICE BY REALLY REACHING OUT AND SAYING, WE AKE THIS SO SERIOUSLY THAT WE'RE DIVIDING THE DEPARTMENT ALONG THOSE LINES.

ONE FOR OPERATIONS, POLICE OPERATIONS, AND AN ENTIRE DIVISION TO REBUILD THAT TRUST.

>> Cathy: BUT HE'S PROMOTING FROM WITHIN.

TWO ASSISTANT CHIEFS.

WHAT DOES THAT SAY?

>> WELL, IT'S PROBLEMATIC EXTERNALLY.

SO YOU HAVE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY WHO LOOK AT THIS AND SAY, HERE WE GO AGAIN.

THEY'RE GOOD CHOICES IN A WAY, INTERNALLY, FOR THOSE OFFICERS WHO MAY HAVE ISSUES WITH THE DEPARTMENT MOVING TOO QUICKLY, BUT EXTERNALLY, IT SIGNALS SOME CONCERN, WHY ARE WE NOT LOOKING EXTERNAL TO THE DEPARTMENT, GIVEN THE FACT THAT WE KNOW THAT THERE'S THIS INTERNAL CULTURE THAT CHIEF O'HARA REALLY NEEDS TO DEAL WITH IS BEING A BIG PART OF THE PROBLEM FOR MANY PEOPLE IN COMMUNITY.

>> Eric: IMPROVED COMMUNITY RELATIONS, IMPROVED COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN ON THE STREET?

>> IT WILL MEAN IMPLEMENTING A LOT OF THE THINGS WE SAW COME UP IN THE DECREE, THE DISCOURSE, BOTH FROM THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE FEDS, DEALING WITH RACE-BASED POLICING, DEALING WITH ISSUES OF TRAFFIC STOPS, HOW THE POLICE ENGAGE COMMUNITY ON A DAILY BASIS, ALL THAT'S GOING TO BE VERY IMPORTANT.

THE APPOINTMENT OF GATORS, IN PARTICULAR, TO OVERSEE THAT WORK, I THINK, IS ENCOURAGING BECAUSE OF HIS REPUTATION IN THE COMMUNITY.

AND THEN, OF COURSE, BLACKWELL ON THE OPERATIONS SIDE IS ALSO POSITIVE IN THAT SENSE BECAUSE THEY DO HAVE A REPUTATION WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT AND WITHIN COMMUNITY OF BEING MORE FOCUSED ON THOSE ISSUES.

>> Cathy: THAT'S ALL POSITIVE.

AS YOU SAY.

BUT AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF SOME OF THESE STORIES THAT HIT THE NEWS THIS WEEK.

EVIDENTLY, THE MPD'S NOT REALLY DISCIPLINING OFFICERS, THEY'RE COACHING THEM.

WHAT DOES THAT SAY?

>> WELL, THIS IS INTERESTING BECAUSE I THINK BE THIS IS PART OF THE PROBLEM.

IF YOU'VE GOT A CULTURE THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO REALLY HELP EVOLVE, HOW DO OU DEAL WITH OFFICERS WHO ENGAGE IN BEHAVIORS THAT TYPICALLY RAISE THE FLAG OF POLICE BRUTALITY OR CONTINUATION OF THAT CULTURE.

THE DEPARTMENT RIGHT NOW IS IN AN INTERESTING PLACE.

THEY'RE DOWN 34%, MINNPOST REPORTS TODAY THAT, FACT CHECKED THAT, WE HAD A FORCE THAT WAS ALMOST 900 OFFICERS IN 201, THEY'RE DOWN TO JUST -- 2018, THEY'RE DOWN TO JUST SHY OF 600 NOW.

SO HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN MORALE, HIRE PEOPLE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME GIVE OFFICERS A CHANCE TO BE A PART OF THAT CULTURE CHANGE.

IT DOESN'T SIGNAL WELL FOR COMMUNITY, BUT, AGAIN, THAT'S THE -- THESE ARE THE FAULT LINES, THE MIND FIELDS THAT O'HARA IS NAVIGATING RIGHT NOW IN THE DEPARTMENT.

>> Eric: YOU'VE STUDIED THIS THROUGH HISTORY.

I WONDER WHAT KIND OF EXPECTATIONS YOU HAVE.

CAN O'HARA REALLY REROUTE THE RIVER, SO TO SPEAK?

I MEAN, SEEMS LIKE A TOUGH JOB.

>> IT'S A VERY TOUGH JOB.

WHEN HE USED THE WORD UNPRECEDENTED THIS WEEK, THAT'S IMPORTANT.

WE NEEDED A STATE LAW CHANGE IN ORDER TO HAVE THIS REMOVAL OF THE CAP ON THE CHIEF BEING ABLE TO DO THIS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT, A UNANIMOUS VOTE BY THE CITY COUNCIL, BUT O'HARA'S BEEN VERY CONSISTENT, I DO LIKE THIS IN SAYING, THIS ISN'T JUST ABOUT THE POLICE, THEY'RE HAVING LISTENING SESSIONS, COMMUNITY HAS TO SHOW UP.

WE CAN'T BUILD TRUST AND WE CAN'T LEAVE THIS ENTIRELY TO THE PURVIEW OF THE CHIEF.

WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THIS HOLISTICALLY AS A COMMUNITY.

WHAT DO WE WANT TO SEE WITH REGARD TO PUBLIC SAFETY IN MINNEAPOLIS?

>> >> Cathy: SAY, BEFORE YOU GO, THE LAST OF THE FORMER MPD OFFICERS WHO WERE ACCUSED IN GEORGE FLOYD'S DEATH WERE SENTENCED, HE WAS LAST TO BE SENTENCED.

YOU AND I TALKED EARLIER IN THE WEEK ON MPR, THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER.

>> NOT AT ALL.

AND CERTAINLY SOME OF THE REPORTS THAT WE HEARD ABOUT OFFICERS BEING COACHED IS PART AND PARCEL F THIS.

HAVE WE REALLY DEALT WITH THE CULTURE ISSUES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT THAT WILL GIVE PEOPLE MORE TRUST, BUT, MORE IMPORTANTLY, THIS ISN'T THE UNDERSTAND OF THE STORY WITH REGARD -- THE END OF THE STORY WITH REGARD TO THE KILLING OF GEORGE FLOYD.

WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO IN ORDER TO UILD THAT LEVEL OF TRUST NECESSARY FOR PEOPLE TO FEEL CONFIDENT IN THE MPD.

SO THIS IS REALLY JUST THE BEGINNING.

THE FEAR IS THAT THE END OF THOSE TRIALS, TOU, IN PARTICULAR, WILL SIGNAL TO PEOPLE THAT THIS IS THE E7BD OF THAT WORK, THIS IS -- THE END OF THAT WORK, THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING, THE RESTRUCTURING OF THE DEPARTMENT, PART AND PARCEL OF THAT.

>> Eric: WHAT'S NEXT STEPS HERE?

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE QUICKLY HAPPEN?

>> I WOULD HOPE WHAT WE WOULD SEE IS WHAT CHIEF O'HARA IS ASKING FOR.

GIVE THIS PROCESS A CHANCE.

BUT, AT THE SAME TIME, TO RECOGNIZE, PARTICULARLY WITH THE RICKY COBB KILLING LAST WEEK -- OR NEARLY TWO WEEKS AGO NOW, THAT WE STILL HAVE ISSUES IN MINNESOTA, E'RE STILL GROUND ZERO IN THIS CONVERSATION.

I APPRECIATED CHIEF O'HARA ACKNOWLEDGING THAT.

WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO.

WE CAN BE A NATIONAL MODEL.

CERTAINLY NEWARK WAS IN 2020, NEWARK DIDN'T HAVE A SINGLE OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING.

SO HE LED THAT CHANGE IN THAT COMMUNITY.

BUT IT CAN'T E ALL DOWN TO HIM.

HE MADE THAT MISTAKE IN THE '80s WITH TONY BOSA, WE CAN'T AFFORD TO MAKE THAT MISTAKE IN THIS MOMENT, WE HAVE TO APPROACH THIS HOLISTICALLY WITH COMMUNITY, EMBRACE WHAT WE HEAR, AT THE SAME TIME, RECOGNIZE THE OPPORTUNITY.

>> Eric: REALLY APPRECIATE YOU SHARING YOUR